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Wellington Free Wi-Fi Launched!

01 Sep 2011

From today, anyone out and about along the Golden Mile can access free wifi. A Wellington City Council and Citylink initiative, free wifi is now available in outdoor areas from the Stadium to the Embassy Cinema, encompassing Lambton Quay, Willis Street, Cuba Street and Courtenay Place (see attached map).

Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown says this provides a great advantage for anyone living in or visiting the city.

“The way people communicate, do business or simply keep in touch with the world gets a huge boost with our free wifi initiative,” says Mayor Wade-Brown. “The advantages for business are significant. People can access important information from almost anywhere in the CBD. Living in Wellington just got better.

“The timing is ideal because thousands of people arrive in Wellington over the coming weeks, and this will be a great tool to help them navigate their way around our city, find local retailers, keep up with business at home, as well as contact their loved ones to tell them what a wonderful time they’re having.”

Mayor Wade-Brown said free wifi in the CBD is an essential component in the wide-ranging strategy to refocus Wellington’s economy towards a smarter, greener future.

“Wellingtonians are early adopters of smart technology so I’m delighted that our city is the first in Australasia to provide free wifi throughout the CBD. Wellington City has invested significantly in the CBD and the free wifi initiative keeps us ahead of the pack.

“Our compact CBD means free wireless is far more manageable to install than most cities. We’ve got a huge number of laptop and smartphone owners in this smart city of ours, and we see this as a small step towards enhancing our digital and communications reputation.”

CityLink Chief Operating Officer Brian Phillips says they have always been passionate about bringing the very best broadband services to Wellington.

“We’re proud to contribute our extensive fibre network and wireless capability to provide free wifi to connect the vibrant heart of the city both locally and globally. People will experience a fantastic broadband experience, while having fun, or doing business in the city,” he says.

CityLink provides high speed fibre and wireless broadband services nationally. CityLink has been leading the broadband revolution for the last 15 years – starting in 1995 with visionaries Richard Naylor and Fran Wilde ensuring Wellington became one of the world’s first and best connected cities.

Head of Marketing Nicky Ashton said Kiwibank is the obvious launch partner for this smart technology service. “We’re delighted to support the launch of this intiative in Wellington. As the only Wellington-headquartered bank, and one with a leading online banking service, we’re excited about supporting Wellington’s technology businesses, as well as residents and visitors keeping in touch with what’s going on, and for that matter, their banking!”